Improved cook stove
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Authors
Catherine Duffield Smith
Issue Date
30/01/2015
Type
Language
en
Keywords
Water and Sanitation
Alternative Title
Abstract
This project is for a small community in the high Andes of Peru and comes under the Access to Services umbrella. Practical Action is working with 80 out of 105 families, introducing water, sanitation, cook stoves and energy to the community. The remaining 25 families are not involved because they are in the low lands and have access to some services. Toilets – The families have a choice of design of loo, either a sit version or a squat version. Both are ‘dry’ toilets using chambers underneath, separating the urine from the solids and which requires emptying. The chamber is taken away and replaced and reminded me of years ago when people had outside loos at the bottom of the garden and the men used to come round and empty them from underneath – I have heard many a story of people being sat on them when they were emptied! Not that either of you younger ladies would remember that! The excrement is them used to make compost – the community have a set location for the emptying of the chamber which requires sun and water to turn it into compost. After three years they cover over it. Cook stoves - have also been installed, improving the lives of the ladies of the communities. Solar energy - has been installed transforming the ‘village’. The community in particularly thrilled to have light as they feel this is an advantage for their children as they can study. One of the things that is transforming their lives is the solar powered spinning machine. 20 – 30 watts of energy and it costs $150 for the machine. Practical Action is supplying one machine per community, however on occasions the community themselves have contributed too. When spinning Alpaca wool, it is obviously spun in single ply, however they is not much call for single ply so to create 2 ply or more they previously had to spin it by hand. They can make 10 times more income through using the machine, which is capable of doing double ply. 1 kg of spun wool is worth 160 soles ($10 – 15) compared to 18 soles per kg for unspun wool. The fibre is classified first before processing depending on a number of factors – white is more expensive, baby alpacas much softer etc. ON average, they have 80 alpacas between five families. Having the extra income means that on occasion they can take the ‘truck’ to the town below to buy a few essentials for their family that previously they could not afford. This is a bigger thing than might be imagined as the truck leaves on a Saturday and returns on a Sunday due to the distance involved. It takes hours to get anywhere in Peru, either through the distance, the altitude or the state of the roads! Water – using the water readily available from the mountain, a sand water filter has been installed in the communal kitchen of the village which filters out the mud. It is cleaned every six months and has proved to be a big hit in people’s lives.
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